How To Make Money Blogging: 5+ Best Ways to Start Earning With a Site

Have you been wondering what the best methods are to make money blogging? It’s no secret that blogging is a legitimate way to actually earn an income online however, many people feel that monetizing their blog is an elusive dream. The truth is that it doesn’t have to be that way! With the right tips and techniques, it’s possible to have a blog you enjoy and to make money blogging too.

The 3 Essential Steps to Make Money Blogging

The first step is to start your blog. You will want to establish yourself as an authority with the creation of engaging, helpful content in your niche.

Select and implement monetization methods that are related to your topic.

Throughout the process, interact with others online in order to keep your blog relevant.

Tactic: Ensure that your blog is the primary resource for your niche. The more readers explore your content for solutions to their problems, the faster you will begin earning an income through the various income streams you have set up.

Exactly How do bloggers actually earn an income?

When it comes to making money blogging, it is important to realize that the majority of truly successful bloggers utilize their blog as a central platform or hub. From there, they go on to build several different income streams from it that they earn from month after month.

It’s important to use your hub as your main platform in order to have more control over your message as well as to be able to have one central place where you can always be found.

Essentially, making money from a blog comes down to using income streams on a consistent basis such as advertising, selling physical or digital products, affiliate marketing, or offering services. We will break down each of these types of income streams further on.

If you are wondering how to start a blog and make money, the main method is that you can make money directly from your blog or alternatively, through related promotion methods from outside sources. When you have small amounts coming in from different sources, they eventually add up into one large flow of income.

What Amount Do Bloggers Really Make?

The amount of money that bloggers actually make can vary greatly from person to person. Bloggers can make millions of dollars a year while others can make a consistent and healthy income on a full-time basis. However, still other bloggers make no money whatsoever.

It is always intriguing to see how much different bloggers make but it’s more important to focus on the potential that bloggers have to monetize their blogs. There is truly no limit to what a blogger can make even though no amount is specifically guaranteed.

It can be difficult to figure exactly how much a blogger can actually make and solid digits reflecting specific income amounts can be challenging to come by. There is some information available from anecdotes as well as from small surveys, however many of these reports can be outdated or inaccurate.

If you compare the numbers from the United States Bureau of Labor and Statistics, you will see that bloggers are assigned to one category called “Writers and Authors.’

According to statistics, this group makes a median income of $61,240 per year. However, this number isn’t accurate since there are many categories included in that number.

The Truth About Income Reports

There are a number of bloggers who have begun publishing income reports in an attempt at being transparent with their earnings. The blog income reports usually include all of the various income streams that combine together to make up the blogger’s entire income. When it comes to income reports, there are two major points to be aware of:

1. Learn what total revenue vs. net income means

Many income reports published online by bloggers show off their total revenue. However, their actual profit, otherwise known as net income, is usually inconspicuously included in some later post. In order to find out what a blogger actually makes, make sure to read about what their monthly expenses are including costs such as Facebook ads, Instagram ads, and other advertising expenses. Only after subtracting the blogger’s outgoing expenses from their incoming total revenue will you figure out how much money they actually earned which is their net income.

2. Every blogger’s situation is different so you can’t really compare

Every blogger has a different situation and this makes it hard to make generalizations about all bloggers even if they are all in the same niche. Simply because you find one blogger in a specific niche making a great income, this does not mean you can just duplicate their earnings and results. With so many factors to consider, and potential revenue combinations, it’s helpful to understand that your specific results may vary.

How Do You Make Money Blogging Quickly?

Oftentimes when a blogger just gets started, they want to figure out how they can begin to earn an income as quickly as possible. It helps to have a practical concept about the length of time it will take before you actually begin to make money blogging.

The facts are that it requires quite a bit of time investment each week before you can have a substantial blog with quite a bit of content. It usually takes a few months of blogging before you can actually see an income from your efforts.

New bloggers wondering can you make money blogging fast, should know that it will take between 3-6 months before they can build up a part-time income and between 1-2 years before they will make a consistent income on a full-time basis. Like all situations, there are of course exceptions, however, these are the typical averages to expect when it comes to making money online blogging.

It’s unrealistic to expect that you can make money blogging and earn a full-time income in just a few months time. With so much content to add in order to build up your content library and social media presence, there simply aren’t any shortcuts to take to get the results you want.

If you are looking for a full time online income right away, you may want to consider offering a service that you can market to bring in an immediate income stream. You can work on your service business while you build up your blog readership on the side. If you have the time to invest, then the results will be very rewarding.

How To Create a Blog For Free And Make Money

After you start creating content for your blog, you will want to focus your efforts on building up a library of 10 to 20 blog posts. It is important to ensure that the blog posts are substantial, meaty, and very helpful. The focus lately has been on producing long-form content of between 1,500 and 3,000 words which ranks highly in Google and the other search engines. In addition to making your posts long, you will want to ensure that your posts establish your blog as the main resource in your chosen area.

New bloggers wondering how to make money off a blog will need to figure out exactly how they will monetize their new blogs. Some income streams can be worked into blog posts naturally and organically. It may help to implement one income stream at a time in order to figure out which ones work best for your blog.

While you work on creating content for your blog, it is also helpful to build relationships on social media including Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and any other social media outlets where you can find readers such as on Reddit. While you’re using these social media outlets, it’s important to add value and contribute to the conversation instead of just promoting your own products or services. This will encourage people to come to you.

If you are wondering how to make money with a blog for beginners, you may come across sites that allow you to set up your blog without any upfront costs. Although you can actually start a blog on a free site such as WordPress.com or Wix.com, you won’t actually have full control over your blog since the free service is the one that actually owns the website. Instead, it is recommended to start a self-hosted blog in order to get the full benefits from owning your own blog.

How to Blog and Make Money (Income Streams)?

There are five main income streams with variants of possibilities within each method. These five main methods include:

Affiliate Marketing

Advertising

Physical Products

Digital Products

Services

1. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is one of the oldest and most popular ways to make money blogging. When starting a blog to make money, affiliate marketing can prove to be one of the simplest and most straightforward methods. With affiliate marketing, you will need to promote someone else’s products to your readers by using your very own, unique affiliate link. When someone clicks your specific link and signs up or makes a purchase, you can earn a commission. Some common affiliate marketing programs that bloggers join include:

Amazon Associates – You get paid when a reader buys Amazon items through your link.

Amazon Influencer Program – You get your very own Amazon shop where readers can buy products.

Bluehost – A popular hosting company that is great for new bloggers.

Genesis – The best WordPress theme for bloggers

Affiliate marketing is a very popular and profitable income stream especially for bloggers in a variety of different niches. You are able to promote products and services that you enjoy just by writing a blog post on it and sharing your unique link.

2. Advertising

Advertising is the answer to new bloggers asking can I make money blogging? Many companies would like to get their products in front of prospective customers. One of the ways they will do this is by advertising on your blog if your blog speaks to their target audience. Some of the ways that you can include advertising into your blogging efforts include:

Sponsored Posts – With sponsored posts, you can display the product in a blog post in exchange for free product or compensation.

Display Ads – Display ads are graphics in your sidebar, in the header, footer, or ads within your content.

Giveaways and Reviews – When companies provide you with products free of charge, and with monetary compensation, in return you can highlight the product on your blogging platform.

Newsletter/Video/Podcast sponsorships – Ads in emails or announced on podcast episodes or in videos.

Although advertising is still quite lucrative, it doesn’t offer the monetary rewards that it once did. In addition, a blog needs to get a lot of traffic if it wants to profit from advertising as a primary income source. Readers don’t take very kindly to advertising and it can also detract from the overall look of our blog.

3. Physical Products

Some of the top money making blogs use physical products as their primary monetization strategy. Some examples of physical products include:

Handmade Items – Specialty crafted products fall into this category

Retail Arbitrage – Finding an item and selling it for a profit.

Books – Often bloggers publish physical books that are offshoots of their blogs.

Manufactured Products – Getting your product idea manufactured

In person Trainings and Classes – Collecting money in exchange for an in-person event.

When it comes to asking, how do people make money blogging, physical products are one of the main techniques. Selling physical products can be quite profitable, however, it is also a complex and involved process that necessitates managing inventory, keeping up with shipping and returns, and more. Some bloggers manage the involvement of a physical products business by partnering with a print on demand service or a dropshipping company.

4. Digital Products

When writing blogs for money, a main strategy for monetizing a blog involves creating digital products around your niche or topic. Digital products are easy to sell since they don’t require any inventory maintenance and they can be distributed on an automated basis. Bloggers enjoy this monetization method due to the fact that there is low risk and virtually no overhead involved.

Example of digital products include:

Ebooks – Can be easily self-published and are very profitable

Ecourses – Teach other people what you know and sell through a membership site.

Online workshops – Teaching via a live method through video streaming

Membership Sites – A mix of community and teaching

Premium content – A paid subscription where readers must pay to access content.

Audio and Video – Sell voice-overs, video clips, jingles, or music

Apps, Themes, and Plugins – Easy to create especially for coders

Stock Photos – Photographers can sell their photos online.

Digital products allow you to leverage technology to create an automatic income stream that brings you income month after month. With digital products, you can quit exchanging time for money while also increasing your earning potential exponentially.

5. Services

Beginning bloggers who are searching for how to make money 2017, in 2018, and even well into the future simply can’t go wrong with offering services. If you have expertise and skill in a particular area, you can get paid when you are hired by others to perform these skill-based tasks for them. Services can either be offered locally or online. Some examples of services that can be offered for monetary compensation include:

Freelancing – With freelancing, you are offering up a service to clients on a regular basis without being employed by them.

Speaking – Often bloggers find gigs where they can speak to a group of people interested in their topic of expertise.

Virtual Assistant – there is a high demand in recent years for virtual assistants.

Organizing, interior design, cooking – Bloggers often exchange these services for their clients who are also their local readers.

By providing a service, you can earn an income very quickly since the startup costs of service-based businesses are typically very minimal. There is usually no inventory needed for this type of business and you are receiving compensation for something you already know how to do. One of the main drawbacks to service-based businesses is that it limits your time freedom and it is typically not very scaleable unless you outsource.

Essential Tips On Starting A Blog For Money

Once you have an overview of how you can make money blogging, you will benefit by learning some essential tips on how you can begin to start a blog. You won’t need to have much technical knowledge or skill in order to start a blog and the truth is that anyone can start one in any niche or topic.

Choosing a Topic For Your Blog

Your blog topic should preferably be something you are interested in and it should be in a niche that you can see yourself writing in for a very long time. If you aren’t interested in the topic and you are just doing it for money, then you may want to consider hiring a writer to make all of your content so you can focus on monetizing the blog for profit.

Selecting A Blogging Platform

WordPress is the most popular blogging platform and is also one of the most reliable and trustworthy ones. If you want to create a blog that will be around for a long time, then it is recommended to use a reliable blogging platform such as WordPress.

Get Hosting For Your Site

When you get hosting for your blogging site, you will want to go with a reliable hosting provider who can make sure that your website doesn’t experience any downtime. Hostgator and Bluehost are two of the most reliable hosting providers available.

Buying A Domain Name For Your Blog

The domain name you select for your blog can be related to your niche and can include keywords that are frequently searched in your niche. However, this isn’t a requirement for your blog to become successful. The reason for this is that as long as the keywords are located throughout your content, your blog should still be able to rank well in the search engines and get discovered by your target audience. Many bloggers have found success while using their name as their primary domain name.

Install WordPress On Your Site

Once you have selected your hosting, you can easily install WordPress on your hosting platform. Many of the latest hosting platforms offer the option to install WordPress in just one click. Once you have installed WordPress, take some time getting familiar with the platform. You can always begin by using the free theme and then upgrade to a paid theme when you are ready to.

Design Your Blog & Start Blogging

Once you have installed WordPress on your website, you can begin designing and customizing your blog. With a newly designed blog, you are ready to start blogging on the topic you have selected. Consistency is key when it comes to success in blogging. To develop a readership, you will want to regularly create content that they are interested in. Your goal should be to become the primary, go-to resource in your area of expertise.

How To Make Money Blogging 2018

If you are learning how to start a blog in 2018, the same rules still apply. If you are wondering how bloggers make money from blogging, they start by using a paid service such as a combination of hosting and WordPress. Although this does require spending some money upfront, the maintenance costs are minimal and the rewards are many. By investing the time upfront in growing and developing your blog, you will be assured of having the best results and a successful blog that pays you well into the future.

Blogging is a lucrative and consistent way to earn a high income online. By following the tips outlined in this blog post, you will be well on your way to creating a thriving blog that provides a solid, full-time income for many years to come.

FAQ

Blogging is appealing to most people because it offers you a way to write about what you love and make money from it. But how do you turn your blog into a money machine? This section focuses on answering all of your questions when it comes to making money from your blog.

General FAQ

The following are general frequently asked questions about blogging and how you can start making money.

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What is blogging for money?

While some bloggers don’t mind blogging for no money, there are others who prefer to make money from blogging. This can be done by adding a form of monetization to your website.

Can you really make money blogging?

Many people make anything from pocket change to a full income from blogging, and you can too. It’s a matter of monetizing your blog appropriately.

Can a personal blog make money?

A personal blog can make money, especially since it forms a closer bond between you and your audience. This means you can make good money by recommending products through affiliate links to people.

What should I blog about to make money?

You should blog about what you’re passionate about. This is because people respond to bloggers who are passionate about what they write about and will more easily spend money on your site.

Is it easy to make money blogging?

Blogs usually take long time to take off, and it can take even longer to begin making money from them. Because of this, making money from blogging takes a good amount of work.

Does it cost money to have a blog?

Having a blog has few expenses. You do have to pay annually for a domain name as well as a hosting plan, and the pricing depends on the provider you go with.

Where to write blogs for money?

You can create your own monetized blog to make money, or alternatively, you can become a freelance writer and get paid to write blog posts for other websites.

What to start a blog about to make money?

You can make money on virtually any subject, so you should base your blog on something you care about and can write extensively about.

Can you still make money blogging in 2018?

Yes, blogging is only becoming bigger, and you can still make quite a bit of money from blogging. The amount of money you make depends on which monetization approach you take.

Does starting a blog cost money?

Compared to a physical business, starting a blog to make money from is very inexpensive. All you have to pay for is your domain name and hosting for your website.

Can you make money with a food blog?

Yes, food blogs are a common subject people base their blogs about, and many food blogs make a good amount of money from them.

Which blog platform is best for making money?

Many blog platforms are versatile when it comes to making money, and you can easily make money on any. There are some that are more geared towards eCommerce stores, however, like Squarespace.

Does money from blogging count as taxable?

No matter the source of money, any income you make is always taxable, and you should always report your earning to the IRS.

Do blogs bring in money for a nonprofit?

Blogs can bring in money for a nonprofit. In fact, a blog is a great place to advertise that you’re a nonprofit and have an option to donate money.

Can a blog with personal articles make money?

Even blogs that are about your personal life can make money. You could even sell a book about your life which people would buy if they’re sufficiently interested in your life.

Does blogging lead to speaking and making money?

Blogging doesn’t always lead to speaking and making money, but it can if that’s where you aim your blog towards.

How to start a blog and make money?

You can start a blog with the intention of making money. One way to make money is to have a service you offer and build a blog around how that service can help you.

How to make money with a blog for beginners?

The simplest way to make money from a blog is by adding ads to your site. One service you can use is Google AdSense to make money for every view or click.

How to make money blogging with Google AdSense?

With Google AdSense, you can make money by posting ads on your website. Every time a user views or clicks on an ad, you’re paid a small amount of money.

How many views does a blog need to make money?

The success of your blog isn’t necessarily linked to how many views you have. Instead, it depends on how you’re making money and how well you’re managing to help users make you money.

How to have a successful blog and make money?

Blogs become successful after consistently working on creating new, quality blog posts that are beneficial to the audience.

How to monetize your blog and make money?

One of the ways you can monetize your blog is by selling items that relate to your blog. For example, you can sell motivational shirts in your self-improvement blog.

How to generate money from blog?

There are many ways to generate money from a blog. One way that works is to offer premium blog posts that you can only access when you become a paid member.

How many readers do you need to make money blogging?

There isn’t a set amount of readers you need to make money blogging. Some websites can make money with just a thousand readers. Others need hundreds of thousands. It depends on what you’re selling and how you’re selling it.

How to start a travel blog with no money?

You can start a travel blog through free platforms such as Medium or WordPress. Later if you have a bit more money, you can buy your own domain and hosting.

How much money can a blog make with AdSense?

There’s no limit to how much a blog can make with AdSense. The amount of money you make depends on how much traffic you have going to your website and how many times users view or click your ads.

How to start a sports blog and make money?

You can make money from a sports blog by regularly updating it with major sporting events and even offering affiliate links to products from your favorite sports team.

What Blogging Platforms Can You Make Money From?

All the different blogging platforms can make it difficult to choose from. From WordPress to Squarespace, which is the best when it comes to making money blogging?

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Can you make money blogging on Wix?

Yes, you can make money from blogging on Wix, and it does have a few plugins you can easily add to start making money, such as selling merchandise from your blog.

Can I make money with a free WordPress blog?

You can make money through a free WordPress blog. However, a free WordPress blog looks unprofessional, and it’s recommended to get your own domain.

Can you make money blogging on Squarespace?

Squarespace is a great platform to monetize a blog. This is because Squarespace has the tools you need to sell products directly from your website.

Can you make money blogging on Facebook?

While Facebook doesn’t pay you for blogging, you can use the audience you gain from Facebook and direct them to a product you’re selling.

Can you earn money blogging on WordPress?

WordPress is a flexible platform for website owners, and you can easily monetize WordPress websites using their wide range of plugins or through your own method.

Can you make money blogging on Tumblr?

Tumblr is a social media platform and won’t pay you for blogging. However, you can always direct your Tumblr fans to your own website.

Can you make money blogging on Blogger?

Blogger is just another platform that allows you to blog, but it won’t pay you to blog. Instead, you can use the audience you reach through blogger to direct them to your own website.

Can you make money on Pinterest without a blog?

Yes, you can use Pinterest to make money without a blog. This can be done by using affiliate links on your Pinterest account and get paid for every click or purchase through your link.

Can I make money with a free Weebly blog?

Even with a free Weebly blog, you can make money with the amount of readers you grow. For example, you can still convince readers to buy your e-book on a free account.

What is more money-making blog or YouTube?

Both blogs and YouTube videos are great ways to make money; they’re just different platforms. The best platform depends on what your subject is.

What Subjects Should I Write About?

You decided to create your blog, but you’re still not sure what you should write your blog about. In this section, we’ll explore the questions you might have when it comes to your blog’s subject.

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What type of blogs make the most money?

Popular blog subjects that make money are blogs on finance, food, health and fitness, and beauty and fashion. However, you can make money from virtually any subject.

Do food blogs make money?

Food blogs, like any blogs, can make money. It depends on which tactic you use to make money. One example would be to offer a paid course on how to learn how to cook.

Do travel blogs make money?

Food blogs, like any blogs, can make money. It depends on which tactic you use to make money. One example would be to offer a paid course on how to learn how to cook.

Do personal finance blogs make money?

Yes, many people are very interested in upgrading their finances. One idea to monetize a finance blog is to offer a finance software that can help people keep track of their finance.

Do money and retirement blogs get high traffic?

Since money and retirement are a big part of people’s lives (and worries), these types of sites usually get high traffic and potentially high sales too.

Would a blog about a dog make money?

A blog about a dog can make money, depending on how engaged you can make the audience. But we can all agree that dogs are very lovable!

Can you make money off a sims blog?

You can make money from a sims blog, and there are already websites that are making money on this same subject. You can make money on virtually any subject others are interested in.

Do sports blogs make money?

Sports blogs are big because people love to talk and learn about sports. Thus, you can use this to get high traffic on your site and make money.

Can you make money with a column blog?

You can make money with a column blog, especially if it gains high traffic. You can even write a column on a product that will convince people to buy.

Do education blogs make money?

Yes, of course. If your blog is aimed at teaching others a subject, you can offer premium courses to make even more money from teaching.

Can you make money from an anonymous blog?

If you prefer to keep your blog anonymous, you can still make money. One simple way is to add ads to your website to make money for each view or click.

Can I make money from my review blog?

Yes, you can make money from a review blog. Because the focus of such a blog is doing reviews, you can offer to do reviews on people’s product for a small fee in exchange for publicity.

Can I make money blogging about a tv show?

TV is a big part of a lot of people’s life, and you can gain traffic from people who share the same interest in this TV show.

Can you make money blogging about books?

You can make money blogging about books through a variety of ways. One great way is to use affiliate links to earn money every time someone clicks on one of your book links.

Can you make money with a photography blog?

Having a photography blog is a great way to make money. One option is to sell your photography on your website as a professional.

Jordan Beaumont

Financial Guru

Jordan's work focuses on helping people reach their financial goals so they can spend more time with family and friends and less time worrying about their budget. After finishing college with a degree in Accounting and Communication, he realized that these are the most important things in life and that people shouldn’t miss out because of money.